Rainbow Beach is a beautiful part of southeast Queensland located just 250klms from Brisbane and about a 1-hour drive from the Sunshine Coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region. Named after the cliffs of coloured sands, it’s a popular destination for campers, recreational four-wheel driving and fishing with expansive beaches and plenty of campgrounds.
The town itself has a population of just over 1000, however, in peak tourism times this number skyrockets and accommodation can be hard to come by. Rainbow Beach is often used as a stopover point for travelers on their way to Fraser Island, as the main barges to Fraser leave from Inskip Point, a short drive north of the town centre. There are several pubs, bottleshops, cafes and grocery stores in town along with petrol stations providing firewood and other camping essentials.
Best Rainbow Beach camping grounds 2020
Rainbow Beach is part of the Great Sandy National Park, an area that includes Fraser Island, Inskip Point, Noosa North Shore (Teewah), Double Island Head and Cooloola. There are many camping spots throughout this region and this guide will provide more information on camping in this great part of the world.
Rainbow Beach Holiday Park
Situated in the heart of Rainbow Beach, Rainbow Beach Holiday Park is the ideal camping ground for families and anyone looking for a camping ground with full facilities. The holiday park contains both powered and unpowered camping, caravan and rv sites, along with cabins. It’s convenient location to the town center makes it ideal for all sorts of travelers and the boat ramp right on its doorstep makes it the ideal camping ground for fisherman, boaties, kayakers and other water activities.
The park is 3 hours’ drive north of Brisbane and only 50 minutes from the town of Gympie. Facilities at the camping ground include:
- Cabins, tent and caravan sites (unpowered and powered)
- Fish cleaning table
- Close to boat ramp and marina
- BBQ Areas
- Amenities block
- Jumping Pillow & Children’s playground
- Laundry includes washers and dryers
- Swap and Go Gas station
Fees range from $89/night for single cabins, $29/night for unpowered caravan sites (inc 2 adults)
Address: 308 Carlo Rd, Rainbow Beach QLD 4581
Phone: (07) 5486 3200
https://rainbowbeachholidaypark.com.au/
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Inskip Point, Rainbow Beach
Inskip Point at the northern end of Rainbow Beach consists of 4 different beach camping grounds and is a very popular area for beach campers and four-wheel drive enthusiasts. Access to the campgrounds is mostly limited to 4WD vehicles and a camping permit is required for all campgrounds. There are no water or camp shower facilities at any of the campgrounds, however, each camping ground has self-composting toilet facilities. Power is also not available, so ensure you have adequate lighting, portable solar panels are all the rage at the moment and make a cost-effective, and quiet method of producing power instead of a petrol generator. Quiet, low decibel generators up to 2.0Kva are allowed.
Inskip Point is the perfect stopover destination for travelers on route to and from Fraser Island, with the islands barge services launching from the point. The cuttings between the campgrounds and the beach can be very soft and hard to navigate so be prepared with the correct safety gear and be sure to let your tyres down to 18psi and engage 4WD.
Inskip Point features:
- 4 unpowered camping grounds to choose from
- self-composting toilet facilities
- no running water
- dogs permitted but must remain on a leash at all times
- 4WD required to access most campgrounds
- Campgrounds are “first-in, first-served” basis
- Camping permits required
Double Island Point Conversation Park
Situated in the Cooloola Recreation Area, Double Island Point lies between Noosa Heads to the south and Rainbow Beach to the north. The area is accessible by both 2WD and 4WD however to experience the area in full a 4WD is required. Vehicles are permitted to drive along the beach and sand tracks but ensure you are prepared with the right safety gear in case of becoming bogged.
Access to Double Island Point can be achieved via Rainbow Beach or Tewantin at the southern end near Noosa’s north shore. Beachgoers are advised to be careful when driving around Mudlo Rocks near Rainbow Beach as many vehicles have struck danger and have become stuck whilst trying to pass the rocks due to erosion and unstable sand.
Camping fees apply to all campgrounds in the Double Island Point / Cooloola region. For a full list of camping fees click here
There are plenty of things to do in the area including:
- Fishing
- Swimming
- Bird watching
- Kayaking
- Boating
Cooloola / Noosa North Shore
Cooloola and Noosa North Shore is an easily accessible location perfect for day trips and weekend getaways. The area consists of beach camping and inland camping along the Noosa River and wetlands know as the Noosa Everglades. Along the Noosa River, there are many campgrounds many only accessible by boat or canoe. Facilities are very limited and ideal for those well prepared. If beach camping is more your thing, then the stretch of beach from Noosa Northshore to Double Island Point offers many camping opportunities with beach campgrounds situated every few hundred metres behind the dunes. Facilities are very limited and campers are required to be prepared and bring the required essentials with them. Toilet facilities are located at the northern end of the beach.
Noosa North Shore can be accessed via barge from Tewantin 365 days a year. Pricing for a standard car is only $7 one-way and departs every 10 minutes.
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Things to consider when camping in and around Rainbow Beach
- a 4WD is recommended when driving on the beach
- be sure to pack essentials when beach camping such as firewood, water and recovery gear
- always take rubbish home with you or place in bins if provided.
- be considerate of wildlife and other campers
- do not drive on dunes
- have fun and enjoy the area, do not destroy it!
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a great place to visit with many campground options then the Rainbow Beach region is ideal. Bring your caravan or even just a swag and camping mattress and come enjoy this beautiful part of Queensland! A must for boaties, campers or anyone looking for a relaxing beachfront location.
If camping is not your thing then there are plenty of holiday homes for rent in Rainbow Bay. Check out OnHolidays guide to Rainbow Beach holiday houses and start planning your next family holiday to this beautiful part of Australia.
